Global Military Operating Environments (GMOE) Phase I: Linking Natural Environments, International Security, and Military Operations

Abstract : The environmental conditions and parameters used in U.S. Army testing of materi l and equipment must replicate the environmental conditions that are anticipated for the areas of deployment. In particular, extreme climatic and physical factors must be incorporated into live testing protocols to ensure the functionality and sustainability of vehicles, weapons systems, and other developing battlefield technologies. The overall scope of this project was to examine soil and terrain across all four major environmental systems (Desert, Cold Region, Tropic, and Temperate systems). Research activities focused on comprehensive analysis of physical and chemical soil processes with emphasis on the flux of mass and energy at the soil atmosphere boundary over a broad range of environmental conditions. Results are especially critical to the development and testing of technologies for the identification and defeat of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devises). Project objectives included: 1. To establish multiple Master Environmental Reference Sites (MERS) for comprehensive characterization of soil processes that represent prevalent terrain conditions critical for military operations and testing. 2. To initiate analysis of the data collected at the established MERS to evaluate the temporal dynamics of energy fluxes under both natural and disturbed conditions in varying climatic regimes. 3. To explore and develop techniques, and collect data on soil and soil surface processes, that support the development and testing of technologies for the detection and defeat of IEDs. 4. To characterize terrain conditions at primary testing and training installations to determine terrain analogs for areas of current and future strategic interest. The ultimate long-term goal of this research was to begin collecting data that will allow the establishment of a military environments reference database that will collate soil and terrain data and related literature to increase availability of global terrain da